Denver Water warns customers of heavy fines for lawn watering after Sept. 30

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As Denver Water prepares to enforce a prohibition on lawn watering beginning Oct. 1 in response to severe drought conditions, the utility is warning customers of heavy fines for those found in violation of the ban.

Penalties for single-family residential customers begin at $500 for the first violation. A second violation will result in a $1,000 fine. Subsequent violations will be subject to a $1,000 fine and the customer’s water service will be shut off.

Multifamily and nonresidential violators will face a fine of $1,000 for the first violation, then a $2,000 fine for a second violation. Subsequent violations will be subject to a $2,000 fine and the customer’s water service will be shut off. 

Postcards with information about the watering ban and penalties for violations have been sent out to serve as the first notice and warning to every property.  

Read about Denver Water’s decision to ban lawn watering as of Oct. 1.

Irrigation-only customers, such as golf courses and parks that aren’t on recycled water, will face an initial fine of $2,000 and a water shut-off if they water without obtaining an explicit, Denver Water-approved water budget.

“We are in a serious situation, and we need our customers to treat this Oct. 1 date as a hard stop to preserve our supplies as we head into the fall and winter months,” said Greg Fisher, Denver Water’s manager of demand planning.

“These are significant fines, and it’s our hope they will get people’s attention to underscore the gravity of our drought conditions.”

The Oct. 1 prohibition, codified in an amended Stage 1 drought resolution approved by the Denver Board of Water Commissioners on Aug. 26, bans lawn watering and any spray irrigation after Sept. 30.

Additionally, as part of the Oct. 1 cutoff for lawn watering, Denver Water will not be issuing watering exemptions for new turf installations.

As fall begins, Denver Water’s reservoirs are at 67% of capacity, when they are typically 91% full. By next year’s spring runoff, reservoirs are anticipated to be just 60% full, compared to 85% in a typical year before the snow begins to melt and refill them.

Record heat last spring and summer and an anemic, fast-melting snowpack last winter have put Denver Water’s collection system and metro area service area at levels of extreme or exceptional drought, making it imperative to preserve and stretch the water supplies. 

“We have seen a relentless water year of low snowpack, high temperatures and limited precipitation. We’re all hoping for a good winter, but it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll see enough snow — and more importantly, a robust spring runoff — to fully fill our reservoirs next year,” said Fisher. “Every customer’s conservation efforts remain especially important as we work together to stretch our storage supplies heading into the winter.”

The board’s original Stage 1 drought declaration, approved March 25, set a target for system-wide reduction of 20% below the five-year average in water consumption. But prolonged hot and dry conditions have led to many customers using more water during their two permitted irrigation days to keep trees, shrubs and landscapes alive, making the conservation target difficult to achieve. 

How to maintain the health of your trees without the use of spray irrigation. 

With drought conditions ongoing, Denver Water staff project storage supplies could drop to 60% before the 2027 runoff season.

The board’s Aug. 26 amended resolution includes additional details outlining the kind of watering still permitted after the shutdown date. 

• High-traffic, active-use grass areas, such as parks and school fields, may only be watered after Sept. 30 under the customer’s Denver Water-approved water budget or variance, which includes a 20% reduction from typical water use.
• Additionally, recycled water users can continue to irrigate any day of the week, following the standard watering rules, as they are relying on reusable water supply.
• Trees, shrubs and perennials may be watered any day with a hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle or low-volume, non-spray irrigation (such as a drip system). They may not be watered with spray irrigation.
• Annuals and vegetables may be watered any day with a hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle or low-volume, non-spray irrigation until the first frost. They may not be watered with spray irrigation.
• Grass establishment is not allowed after Sept. 30, except under special circumstances outlined under a Denver Water-approved variance.
• An irrigation system may be operated for installation, repair or reasonable maintenance, so long as the system is attended throughout the period of operation and water waste does not occur. 

“Regardless of conditions, the watering season ends on Oct. 1 every year as the weather begins to cool down and grass starts to go dormant,” Fisher said. 

“Plus, we typically get our first freeze in mid-October, which could result in pipe breaks on irrigation systems that still have water in them. This year, we’re just taking this best practice a step further and requiring that everyone stop spray irrigation as a way to further stretch our severely impacted storage supplies.”

The lawn watering ban remains in effect until the board determines how and when lawn watering can resume. That means sprinklers need to remain off in spring 2027, pending an official resolution from the Denver Board of Water Commissioners.